Hearts Awakened, Live Alive

Hongjoong: Till the End

Hongjoong fidgeted nervously in his seat, playing with the end of his very expensive tie. He hadn't thought this through very well. He'd been elated that Seonghwa asked him to be his date to this gala event. For one, it was the main reason he was tasked to "seduce" Park Seonghwa in the first place, but it was also because he really liked spending time with him, perhaps more than he logically should. Going shopping for the suit Hongjoong wore now yesterday had been fun. Seonghwa had paid for the whole ensemble despite the very large price tag and all of Hongjoong's constant complaints. He had been in awe of his appearance, never before having seen the power of clothes so prominently before. For one, the suit had three pieces to it. Hongjoong had no idea that a tuxedo could also include a vest and wasn't just a jacket and some matching pants. He'd stood for an hour, having a tailor fix the black blazer to his exact measurements on the spot. When everything had been marked properly on the suit for his size, the suit was fed through some sort of machine that Hongjoong couldn't even fathom how it worked but when it came out the other side, he had a perfectly outfitted suit. How crazy! The process alone cost a significant amount of money and that's not to even mention the hassle that picking out a tie was. The price tag on even that small garment had been through the roof; Hongjoong had almost fainted just looking at it.

Then, after that whole ordeal where Hongjoong nearly had a panic attack looking at the final price of his three-piece, tailored suit, they'd gone to dinner. Hongjoong had to corner the waitress to get the receipt before Seonghwa could pay for that too, catching her just as she had been printing their bill to pay for it before Seonghwa even knew. After that, Hongjoong had invited Seonghwa back to his apartment where they'd partaken in more... intimate relations before Seonghwa left him for the night.

It had been a fantastic night, but none of that prepared Hongjoong for the nervousness he felt now. He'd never been someone's date to a high-end party... he'd never even been to a high-end party before. How was he supposed to act? What was he supposed to do? He knew that his main priority wasn't to figure out how to enjoy the party, but Yunho and Mingi had suggested he blend in for a bit before finding the right moment to sneak away. But in order to blend in, he needed to stop feeling so nervous. It was just Seonghwa, the same awkward dork that had practically screamed at him during his initial confession. He could do this, no problem.

Seonghwa had picked him up earlier in the night since the mansion was a bit too far of a walk from Hongjoong's apartment in the rain. He'd shown up in his expensive red and black sports car, looking every bit like the millionaire's son that he was in his own tailored suit. Hongjoong was left speechless for a moment when he first opened the door to the exquisite sight that was his boyfriend. The term handsome wasn't even strong enough, Hongjoong felt. He had suddenly wished he'd put more effort into his own appearance. He'd brushed his hair for the occasion at least instead of just stuffing it into a hat like he normally did. He'd thought that that would be enough but seeing Seonghwa now... he wondered if they had a little more time so that he could at least try to get on the same level as his date. Seonghwa had even bought him flowers for the occasion. A dozen, deep red roses, cut perfectly and absolutely gorgeous. When asked what the occasion even was, he'd only shrugged and said that he had felt like spoiling his "amazing boyfriend". As cheesy as it was, how was Hongjoong supposed to not fall even harder for the man when he said and did things like that?

They drove to the party together after Hongjoong had found a spot for his flowers and Seonghwa had assured him multiple times that he looked fantastic and didn't need to change a thing. And then, that's where Hongjoong found himself now, sitting in the front seat of Seonghwa's car, a giant ball of nerves that was only growing by the second.

A knock on the glass window next to him snapped him out of his downward spiral of thoughts. He jumped a little, looking around frantically for the source of the noise before he found Seonghwa standing outside. He heard muffled laughter as he opened the car door for him. He hadn't even realized the car had stopped... He really needed to get out his head and just focus on the next step.